Fluid-vending mechanism.



H. C. JOHNSON. FLUID VENDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATIQN HLED APR.

Patented May 2,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I H. C. JOHNSON.

FLUlD VENDING MECHANISM.

APPLICAHON FILED APR.25, m3.

1 1 81- 456 Patented May 2, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Fig.4:

WITNESSES. INVEN T01? nnnrsn HENRY C. JOHNSON, 05E KNEE? FLUID-VENDING M3 girl l Specification oiilletter Application filed April 1913. Serial I'l'o. "$63,522.

1/ '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY C. Johnson, a citizen of the United States. and a resident of Knightstown, county of Henry, and State of lndlana. have invented a certain new and useful Fluid-Vending lvlechanism; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof. reference being had to the accompanving drawings. in which like lett rs .eier to like parts.

The object of this invention is to improve the liquid vending mechanisms, and particularly those of coin controlled. type, for readily adjusting the volume of liquid for a certain price so as to suit changes in the price of the liquid and to make a practical liquid vending mechanism involving said feature.

The chief feature of the invention consists in providinga liquid measuring chamber, the volume of which is adjustable by a movable wall thereof, which wall is adjust able according to a scale of prices.

Another feature of the invention is combining with the foregoing means for adjusting the volume of the measuring chamber. means for controlling the valves tor admitting liquid into said chambe and for removing the same therefrom, so that said valves will he alternately operated.

Along with the foregoing is provision of a pump for supplying said chamber and an overflow returning to the source of the liquid.

The above machine is made primarily so as to be coin controlled and thus form a coin controlled liquid vending mechanism.

By adjusting parts, also the pump may he used for pumping the liquid from a wagon or the like for charging the storage tank.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claim:

In the drawings. Figure 1 is an elevation of a coin controlled gasolene vending mech' anism with the door or front thereof removed. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a portion of Fig. 2 on a larger scale. Fig. 4; is a section through a part of the mechanism on the line H of Fig. 3, but on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a side elevation oi the liquid chamber and the pipes leading thereto and therefrom and In detail there is shown herein a wooden house-like structure 10 containing therein a ga...)lcne storage tank 11 above which the liquid vending; mechanism is mounted. l'irom the top of the structure there are three measuring chambers 12 within a frame 113 suspci'ided by metal. straps 13, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, into which liquid is pumped from the storage tank 11 by a pump ll through a pipe 15 and through short pipe. 16, one o'l the shortpipes extending: to each measuring chamber. From the lower side oi each measurin chamber 12 there is a short outlet pipe 14' leading to a horizontal pipe 18 with which a tube 19 is connected and through which the liquid is conveyed to a vessel, not shown.

Each. measuring chamber has an open side in which a sliding; plate or wall 20 is located which has a. flexible split packing ring 21 around its edges for making a tight oint between it and the remaining walls of said chamber so that liquid cannot escape therefrom. The packing: strip 21 shown is held in place against a lip from plate 20 by an angle bar 120 and bolts extending; through plate 20 and bar 120. By shifting said plate 20 the dimensions of the liquid measuring chamber can be adjusted and for this purpose there a. screw bolt 121 which has a round head :22 "ithin a bracket 2?, see Fig. and said screw be t screws through a cross bar 25 connected with the frame 113. Since the head 22 is round, it will not tend to turn plate 20. The outer end of the bolt is square for the applicatioi'i of awrench so that by turuinfr said screw bolt 121, the movable plate or wall 20 may be moved inward for reducing the dimensions or" the measuring chamber or moved outward for enlarging the same. The extent of such desired movement is determined by a winter 26 mounted on said scrc w bolt 121 which moves along a bar 27 secured to the frame bar 25. and said bar 27 is graduated according to a scale of prices per gallon. or other unit of liquid measure.

As stated before. this machine is used in connection with coin vending mechanisms 30 arranged for receiving certain coins. Thus the three liquid measuring chambers, shown in Fig. I. are controlled by: coin controlling devices adapted to receive. respectivelv. twenty-five cents, fifty cents and one q; 1,18JA56 dollar in payment of gasolene and the various measuring chambers are adpisted accordingly to hold gasolene worth said amounts at the price per gallon at which they are set. Hence, it the price of gasolene increases, the plate must be adyusted to reduce correspondingly the volume or gasolene which would be required to fill such shown need not be fully explained, as this invention is not limited to the nature of the coin controlling mechanism employed, nor to the means for controlling the operation of the machine and, in fact, it can be operated by hand. The coins from the three coin controlling meclmnisms, as shown in Fig. 1, roll down through chute 3) to the cash box 33.

In each inlet pipe 16 there is a valve casing containing a suitable valve operated by a lever ll. which is connected by a bar 42 with a lever 43 fulcrumed between its ends at 44: to a bracket 15 from the cross bar 25 in the open end of measuring chamber. Also from th lower end of the lever l3 there is a bar 46 connecting the same with an arm at? loroperating a valve in the valve casing 48 in the outlet pipe 17. T hose valves are arranged so that when the lever is rocked in one direction, it will close the lower valve and open the upper valve to let fluid enter the measuring chamber 12 and then when the lever 43 is rocked in the opposite direction, it will close the upper valve and thereafter open the lower valve and permit the fluid to discharge. The lever %3 is operated by a push rod l-l8 which is controlled by a coin controlling mechanism when such coin controlling mechanism is used, but may be opeated without any coin controlling mechanism.

The device is provided with an overflow consisting of a pipe which leads from the extreme end of pipe 15, where it discharges into the last measuring chamber and rises somewhat and then descends and enters the tank or reservoir 11. q

A gage for each mez'lsuring chamber is also provided consisting of a. pipe 50 leading from each measuring tank and running to a glass gage 51 which is connected at its lower end with a pipe 52 which returns to the lower part of the measuring chamber. An air valve 53 is located in each pipe 50 to permit the measuring chamber and gage to fill and empty.

\Vhile there is shown herein a hand pump elevating the liquid from the tank 11, still any other-desired means may be employed for that purpose and the invention is not limited to a hand pump.

While this invention has been used heretofore in the manner described, namely, with a scale 'bar 27 graduated and when the plate 20 is adjusted to bring the pointer 26 to any graduation, it will indicate that the chamber will hold just enough liquid to amount in price to the price indicated by the pointer. But the invention is not limited to the sort of graduations on the bar 27, so it may represent gallons, if desired.

There is a three-way valve located in the short pipes (31 which connects the pump 14 with the tank 11, having a nipple on it whereby a hose like 19 can be secured to it.

This arrangement is to enable the pump to be used for filling the storage tank 11 from a wagon or portable tank. To do this the tube 19 can be removed from discharge'pipe- 18 and connected with the nipple of the triplevalVeGO and when all of the valves 40 are closed, the operation of the pump will pump the liquid from the wagon or portable tank and it will pass through pipes 15 and 55 into the tank 11. Thus the pump 14 can be used for filling the tank 11 and after it is filled, the tube 19 can be taken from the triple valve and put back on the discharge pipe 18.

I claim as my invention:

A liquid vending mechanism including a measuring chmnber which has an open side, a bar extending across'said open side, a liquid tight plate movable in said chamber for *arying the dimensions thereof, a screw bolt connected with said plate and extending through said bar, a pointer on said screw bolt, and a'graduated scale connected with said bar along which said pointer moves when the screw bolt is operated.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto at.- fixed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named. r

HENRY C. JOHNSON. lVitnesses:

J H. TVELLS, O. M. MCLAUGHLIN. 

